Will a more 'sociable' baby find it easier to learn to talk?

Babies don’t need words to communicate, but having said that, living in a close community or large family will making language learning easier. Children love to communicate, you’ve probably already noticed that as soon as he became mobile he was following you about, babbling to start an exchange with you. At mother and baby group or creche he will constantly be communicating with the other children and the adults who look after him. Not all children have the same needs, some babies can play on their own for long periods of time, while others need constant verbal exchange. For our expert, children who spend time in group childcare or go to playgroup regularly, learn to talk more quickly: “Having lots of communication partners means the child has to use language to make him or herself understood, while spending a lot of time with just one or two other people makes more room for non-verbal comunication”. Toddlers’ affection for the telephone demonstrates how much they enjoy communicating – “Hello” is often one of their first words.